Stay in NYC for $100 on Independence Day

You can see New York's famous fireworks this year and find a nearby hotel for under $100, according to a rate analysis by HotelTonight.(Photo: Bill Kostroun, AP)

With its spectacular fireworks display over the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline, New York City is one of the nation's most festive places to celebrate Independence Day. And according to travel app HotelTonight, it may also be an incredible bargain this year.

The booking app, which offers discount rates for same-day hotel stays, predicts rooms in New York will be available for less than $100 a night on July 4th, with similar prices the entire week, an astounding deal in a city where the average daily hotel rate is around $300. HotelTonight predicts similar discounts in other big U.S. cities, with the midweek holiday curtailing business travelers who usually fill rooms on weekdays.

But before you pack your bags, there's a wrinkle: HotelTonight doesn't start selling rooms until noon on the same day, so you'll be taking a leap by arriving in the city on the holiday. But its predictions are based on rate data from previous years, and other booking channels are showing similar discounts, so it's unlikely you'll find yourself gouged on the ground. Also, unlike other discount sites such as Priceline, on HotelTonight you see your specific hotel and address before you book.

Hotel Tonight's analysis also spotlights other bargains for the summer travel season. Predictably, summer rates fall in Southern destinations, so you can expect saving of up to 70% off average rates in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Springs, Houston and Austin. New Orleans also is a (sweltering) summer bargain.

In the other direction, as hotel rates in such Eastern beach destinations as Atlantic City, Newport, R.I., and Myrtle Beach, S.C., spike in summer, HotelTonight finds that a midweek stay can take some of the sting out.

Sundays remain the cheapest days for hotels, especially for last-minute bookers, as business travelers usually don't like to use a weekend day for a work trip, and leisure travelers don't want to burn a vacation day staying over until Monday.